Arapaho National Forest — Colorado River Headwaters Corridor Dispersed Camp

The Colorado River begins its 1,450-mile run to the Gulf of California from snowmelt on the Never Summer Range, and the upper corridor along County Road 491 and the adjacent Forest Service land offers genuine dispersed camping right alongside it. We’re talking a small willow-and-meadow stream here — nothing like the canyon river downstream — but the setting is wide-open, the peaks are close, and the sky at night is legitimately dark. Moose are a real presence in this drainage; don’t be surprised. Elk are everywhere come fall. Bring your own water or filter from the river.

CR 491 is mostly maintained gravel and accessible to most rigs in dry conditions. The pull-offs vary from flat gravel bars to soft meadow edges — test before you commit a heavy rig to a soft shoulder. This corridor is busier than it looks in July and August due to proximity to Grand Lake and RMNP. Come mid-week or early September when the crowds thin and the aspens start turning. Standard 14-day USFS stay limit.

Camp at mile zero of the Colorado River.